Network Engineer, Senior Network Engineer

About the Organization

The Connecticut Education Network (CEN) is Connecticut’s trusted internet partner, dedicated to empowering our member community and driving their success. For over 25 years, we’ve upheld this commitment—growing our network and earning a reputation as one of the state’s most valued and high-performing Internet Service Providers. CEN offers a flexible, family-friendly work environment, including hybrid work-from-home options, 7-hour workdays, and a culture that values work-life balance. We collaborate with state-level research and education networks nationwide, sharing best practices and tackling challenges together. Professional growth is prioritized through vendor training, hands-on labs, industry conferences, and leadership programs. Our members—spanning K-12, higher education, state and local government, healthcare, and cultural institutions—are our strongest advocates, championing shared economies of scale that deliver transformative technologies.

This role is part of UConn Information Technology Services (ITS), located at 55 Farmington Ave, Hartford, CT. UConn is consistently ranked as the top public university in New England and among the nation’s best, recognized as a Carnegie Foundation Research University.

About the Role

CEN is seeking two Network Engineers to join our Network Services team, reporting to the Network Services Manager. You’ll manage a Tier 2 service-provider network offering services such as dedicated internet, exchange peering, content caching, L2/L3 VPNs, cloud connect onramps, managed firewall, hosted DNS, and content filtering. This role is ideal for a highly motivated, collaborative professional skilled in evaluating complex, interconnected network systems. The position offers a fast-paced, rewarding environment where you’ll grow professionally while advancing CEN’s mission.

Responsibilities

Network Engineer (Network Administrator 2)

• Ensure the continuous, uninterrupted availability, security, and functionality of the network.
• Perform installation, provisioning, and decommissioning of devices and services.
• Troubleshoot and resolve network-related problems, occasionally under extreme pressure.
• Manage timely response to service requests and incidents within ticketing systems.
• Produce and maintain diagrams, records, as-built documentation, and operating procedures.
• Maintain and monitor inventory, assets, and tracking of equipment, parts, and materials.
• Participate in on-call rotation, including after-hours escalation support as needed.
• Maintain vendor relationships, manage contract installations, and liaise with end users.
• Lead, execute, and contribute to all aspects of projects from inception to completion.
• Create, debug, test, and deploy network automation scripts and programming languages.
• Contribute to and execute business continuity/disaster recovery plans as needed.
• Perform optimizations including tuning, upgrading, troubleshooting, and capacity planning.
• Oversee network implementation processes, including setting schedules and budgets.
• Research network technologies and stay up to date on advancements in the field.
• Lead testing and recommend purchases of hardware, software, security, and related products.
• Contribute to technical specifications and requirements for procurement documents.
• Participate in virtual and/or physical events and presentations to peers and/or the CEN community.
• May provide leadership, supervision, training, and/or professional development plans for staff.
• May represent the team and organization on advisory boards, councils, or forums.
• Must have a driver’s license and ability to travel to sites within CT, New England, and New York.
• Perform other duties as required.

Senior Network Engineer (Network Administrator 3)

• Lead long-range planning of the overall network, architecture, security, and capacity.
• Lead outage resolution and post-incident reviews, including detailed root cause analysis.
• Lead design and implementation of complex network systems, including physical and logical topology.
• Lead business continuity/disaster recovery planning, testing, and execution.
• Present network plans to management staff/key stakeholders, aligning strategy and need.
• Serve as the final escalation point for incidents, requests, design reviews, and vendor escalations.
• Mentor and guide junior engineering staff and help with cross-team competency.
• Serve as a subject matter expert (SME) on optical, packet, security, and/or cloud services.
• Write technical specifications and requirements for procurement needs and documents.
• Perform other duties as required.

Skills and Competencies

• Problem Solving: Demonstrates sound analytic and diagnostic skills for defined or complex issues. Breaks problems into manageable pieces and implements timely solutions. Confronts issues directly until resolved.
• Team Orientation: Builds relationships with peers and other departments to achieve objectives. Balances team and individual responsibilities, welcomes feedback, and prioritizes team success.
• Productivity, Planning, and Time Management: Proficient in office productivity software (e.g., O365, MS Teams, Google Apps). Works with project leads to identify priorities and execute tasks efficiently.

Physical Demands

• Extended periods of sitting and extensive use of computer/office equipment.
• May involve stooping, kneeling, crouching, and/or working on step ladders.
• Requires close vision, color vision, depth perception, and focus adjustment.
• Must be able to lift 40 lbs. to shoulder height.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and ability to drive.

Qualifications

Network Engineer (Network Administrator 2)

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field and 4 years of related experience, OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience leveraging BGP, OSPF, and/or ISIS in medium to large-scale enterprise networks.
• Demonstrated written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated understanding of OSI Layers 1–4 and TCP/IP protocols.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex inter-related network systems.

Senior Network Engineer (Network Administrator 3)

• Bachelor’s Degree in STEM and 6 years of directly related experience, OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 3 years’ experience as the lead or senior network engineer in support of a large-scale network.
• Experience leveraging MPLS and traffic engineering.
• Experience leveraging VRFs in complex network environments.
• Proven experience in providing high-profile outage resolution and post-incident reviews.

Preferred Qualifications

Network Engineer (Network Administrator 2)

• Master’s Degree in a related field.
• 5+ years’ experience in an enterprise network environment or Service Provider network.
• CCNP or equivalent certification (Service Provider track preferred).
• Career certifications in cybersecurity, programming, and/or cloud provider services.
• Scripting ability in Bash, Python, Perl, or Ansible.
• Experience with Cisco ONS 15454/NCS2k or other optical networking platforms.
• Experience with web content filtering, associated regulations, and technologies.
• Advanced knowledge of DNS configurations and troubleshooting.
• Working knowledge of network security concepts (firewalls, IDS/IPS, proxy servers, etc.).
• Experience with network flow data (NetFlow, sFlow, IPFIX).

Senior Network Engineer (Network Administrator 3)

• Advanced Degree (Master’s or Doctorate) in STEM or related to computer networking.
• 7+ years’ experience in a large-scale service provider or multi-discipline enterprise network.
• CCIE and/or JNCIE certification (Service Provider track preferred).
• Demonstrated ability to write specifications and document existing/planned systems.
• 4 years’ programming experience, including working directly with network systems.
• Project Management certification or demonstrated project management experience.
• Familiarity with IT Security frameworks (GDPR, SOX, NIST, ISO 31000, PCI, FERPA, AICPA/SOC2).

Pay

Network Engineer (P6, Network Administrator 2): $80,790 – $105,027

Senior Network Engineer (P7, Network Administrator 3): $90,485 – $117,630

Final salary will be based on the successful candidate's background and experience.

Benefits

• Defined contribution with employer match or defined benefit program retirement options.
• Excellent and affordable healthcare options.
• 35-hour work week.
• 22 paid vacation days per year, in addition to paid sick leave and 13 paid holidays.
• Annual merit increase program.
• Employee and dependent tuition waivers at UConn.
• Highly desirable work environment and work-life balance.

Schedule

• Full-time, annually renewable (end-dated) position.
• Hybrid work-from-home options available.
• 7-hour workdays.